Monday, 12 September 2011

MONTREAL — Experts are worried about a report that shows India has moved ahead of Canada in space competitiveness and that Canada is also losing ground to other big players in space.

The 2011 Space Competitiveness Index, compiled by U.S. consulting firm Futron, also says government delays in presenting a long-term space plan are offsetting Canada's competitive advantages.

There are concerns the delays may even put Canada behind in the space robotics sector where it has built a worldwide reputation with its iconic Canadarm.

Futron's recently released analysis of the 10 leading space nations reveals Canada lost its sixth-place ranking to India in 2010.

The analysis compares how countries invest in and benefit from the space industry.

Futron's program manager, David Vaccaro, says the index shows Canada has slipped behind India and is being challenged hard by Brazil, China, Israel, Japan and South Korea.

"My sense is that what's really happening is that as other countries start to move up, Canada has lost relative positional strength because other countries have started to advance faster," he told The Canadian Press.

The analysis highlights the fact Canada still has not unveiled a new long-term plan for its space sector.

It praises Canada for retaining a skilled space workforce and notes that the country's space companies did well in 2010.